The Blue Springs Police Department will host its 13th annual Fallen Officer Memorial Service in the Municipal Annex located at 1304 W Main Street in Blue Springs.

The event is part of the National Police Memorial Week, which officially runs from May 11-17. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

This year's theme is

"They Still Stand Watch."

Please join us as we honor the Officers and their families who have given everything to keep us safe.

Upcoming Parks & Recreation Events

Car Cruise

Friday, May 9 from 6 p.m. till dusk

Downtown Blue Springs

Bring the family out to view the latest innovations in car restoration from over 100 exhibitors and enjoy delicious food and drinks from downtown merchants as well as concession treats and sodas.

Cruises are held the second Friday of each month, April through August. Co-sponsored by Mid-America Mustangers and Blue Springs Ford.

Blue Springs Fishing Derby

Saturday, May 17, 8:30 a.m.

Rotary Park at Railroad Lake

Join The Sunset Optimist Club of Blue Springs along with Parks & Recreation for the 24th annual FREE Blue Springs Fishing Derby for children ages 5-14.

The lake will be freshly stocked just for this event! Events include a casting contest, largest fish caught, and first fish caught. Winners from each age division receive great prizes. Bring a fishing pole and bait.

Pooches on the Parkway

Saturday, May 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Wilbur Young Park

Join us for this annual fundraiser for the Blue Springs Dog Park. A very special event for dogs and their owners! Join us rain or shine!

Dog Walk fees include a commemorative T-shirt and hospitality packet. To preregister and receive reduced fees for the walk, contact Blue Springs Parks & Recreation at (816) 228-0137. Fee is $21 if registered by 5/23, and $25 if late registration. Free admission into stage and exhibitor areas.

Public Works Week Celebration

Wednesday, May 21, 5-7 p.m.

Public Works Facility

500 SE Sunnyside School Road

Join us in celebratingNational Public Works Weekand learn how we maintain the City!

Join us for a morning of boxing for kids ages 8+, signed waiver required.

Rink Ratz

513 SW Keystone Dr.

May 3, 4:30-6:30 p.m.Join us open roller skating.

Lunar Bowl

2001 NW Highway 7

May 10, noon to 2 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of bowling. One game per participant, clean tennis shoes required.

Metro East Tennis Center

3109 Vesper

May 10, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of tennis activities.

City Government on

CTV-7

Check out what's new and going on in Blue Springs, 24 hours a day,

7 days a week.

Watch Comcast Cable

Channel 7

News Happenings

Around Town

A bi-weekly message from your Blue Springs Mayor and City Council

Greetings!

Hello and welcome to News Happenings Around Town, your one-stop source for City information and news updates, including those items most important to you.

Spring has finally sprung and there are a lot of great activities to in Blue Springs. Click here to visit the City's calendar to see all of the upcoming community events in Blue Springs.

We have seen quite a bit of severe weather around the country and I just want to remind everyone to sign up for CodeRED if they have not already done so. This free service will alert you when severe weather is in our area. To sign up for CodeRED, click here. You must opt in to receive weather alerts.

The Buy Blue Springs Program is running a contest! To enter, simply click here and enter your email address on the left hand side of the website. The Buy Blue Springs Program aims to keep local dollars in our community. Did you know that dollars spent in our economy have three times the impact on Blue Springs as dollars spent outside of the area?

Also, the Blue Springs Citizen Police Advisory Board has published the April 2014 Public Safety Sales Tax Status Report. To see this report, click here.

As always, please continue sharing this timely publication and spreading the word about what's good and going on in the City of Blue Springs.

Mid-Continent Public Library Wins National Award

I would like to congratulate the Mid-Continent Public Library who is one of 10 recipients of the 2014 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The National Medal is the nation's highest honor given to museums and libraries for service to the community, and will be presented by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on May 8.

You may be interested to learn that the Mid-Continent Public Library (MCPL) serves an incredibly diverse mix of communities in Greater Metropolitan Kansas City. Spanning three counties and 1,349 square miles, the system serves populations urban and rural, wealthy and poor, young and old. These unique groups provide MCPL with an exceptional opportunity to adapt our services, collections, and outreach efforts to meet the needs of each community.

For more information about the award, click here. We are fortunate to have two MCPL branches here in Blue Springs. For more information about our Blue Springs North Branch, click here. For more information about our Blue Springs South Branch, click here.

Blue Springs Farmers Market

Blue Springs Farmers Market

Saturdays, 7 a.m. to noon

Downtown Blue Springs

Saturday, May 3 marks the beginning of the Blue Springs Farmers Market season. The Farmers Market will temporarily be located in the parking lot of the First Baptist Church of Blue Springs, 1405 W. Main Street during construction of the City's Municipal Parking Lot. To see a map of the temporary Farmers Market location, click here.

The market specializes in home grown fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats and many other items that are grown or made by hand. For more information about the market, click here.

Community Development Internal Software Update

The Community Development Department is currently in the process of upgrading their internal project tracking software. As a result of this upgrade, issuance of permits will be slowed between May 1-5 and payments will not be posted until May 6.

We apologize for this inconvenience, and we appreciate your patience as we work to upgrade our systems to better serve you.

Spring Cleaning Recycling Events Successful!

Photos from our annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event

On Saturday, April 19 the City hosted our annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection event at Pink Hill Park. Thisprogram continues to be one of the most successful recycling programs in Blue Springs.

Approximately 460 cars participated and the majority of what was collected was old paint. I would like to thank all of the event volunteers including staff from Jackson County, Grain Valley, Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, MARC Solid Waste ManagementDistrict, ATK, Blue Springs Waste Management Commissioner James Barry, Blue Springs Planning Commissioner George Abbott, and the many Blue Springs staff members who participated. This event would not have been possible without all of the help from our volunteers.

If youmissed the event or have other materials in need of disposal, click here for more information.

DEA Rx Take Back Program

On Saturday, April 26 the Blue Springs Police Department partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and both Blue Springs Price Chopper locations to give residents an opportunity to rid their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs.

Even with the rain, this event was the most successful event yet! This year, 213 residents dropped off an amazing 465 pounds of unwanted medication. This event is important because medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

Special thanks to Sgt. Don Rapp and the Blue Springs Police Department, both Price Chopper locations and the Blue Springs VIPs for making this event possible.

I hope you have found this issue of News Happenings Around Town to be both informative and timely for your City information needs. Is there anything we missed? Do you have questions about any of the articles from this issue? Share your thoughts with me and the City Council by calling City Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know that we truly value your time and support for our City and hope you join us for the next issue of News Happenings.

Sincerely,

Carson Ross, Mayor

City of Blue Springs

Our

Mission

The City of Blue Springs is a unique community where families, visitors and businesses share a special quality of life and an abundant spirit of community closeness and cooperation.

Our number one goal is to ensure that our residents, visitors and patrons receive quality customer service and attention with every program and service the City provides. Just as you stand by a community that strives to meet your family's needs, we promise to do our best to meet these needs and anticipate what's best for you and our community, to the best of our ability.